Have you ever been had in clubland?

Nope, not a night club, but a club, you know, the kind where they have memberships and ties and all that ... I'm not a club member, though I can see how there are benefits. I've had the luck to be traveling in circles where I've been invited to some of the nicer clubs in the country. Over the past few years I've dined at:

• Harvard Faculty Club (Cambridge, MA)
• St. Francis Yacht Club (San Francisco)
• University Club (New York City)

At the Harvard Faculty Club, we had an intimate dinner for about 25 people all sitting at one very very long table. Needless to say, that didn't make for much mingling or mixed conversation. There was a nice menu to choose from, I ended up with the creamed squash soup and a steak with vegetables. A very good soup and a nice steak. There was a good wine list and service was good. The ambiance of the club was pretty much everything what you might imagine a club to be, at least it was for me!



The St. Francis Yacht Club was a much different experience. Again, we had 20-28 people, but instead had three large round tables and after a while, people were started to mix and mingle. Being in the corner (with a beautiful view of the Golden Gate Bridge). Dinner was a buffet (which helped with the mingling). It was a pretty good buffet, nice large selection of salads and some nice entrees (including grilled cheese triangles for the younger set - of which there were quite a few). There was also a pasta bar where the chefs would whip up pasta and a sauce to your taste. And to top off your calorie intake, there was a sundae bar for dessert.



In New York City, however, was my ultimate (to date!) club experience. The University Club is located in a fabulous building that just squeals "old New York." We had a small party, about sixteen people, split over four round tables. After an open bar to start, we were seated and given a choice of the meat, fish, or vegetables. There was a soup and salad option for a starter, I went with the salad (quite good) and followed with the meat option (a good steak and potatoes, though the salmon option looked good too). Lovely food and a charming environment. As we were leaving, we had a  brief tour of the members' reading room and were entertained by the slightly tipsy guests at a wedding reception. 



So, overall, the "club" experience is interesting. You may not get the best food, but you get an interesting environment. So, as Elvis Costello said (about a different type of club):

With a handful of backhanders and a bevy of beauty
You’re going off limits
Going off duty
Going off the rails
Going off with booty
They tell tales of fiction found on all the criminal types
Lead to a higher ranking man or a face with thin red stripes

The boys next door
The mums and dads
New weds and nearly-deads
Have you ever been had in clubland?

(which I guess is apropos of nothing! but I liked the title!)

Harvard Faculty Club
Meal: Dinner
Rating: ****
Date: 19 March 2008
Address: 20 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138-3899
Website: http://www.fas.harvard.edu/

St. Francis Yacht Club
Meal: Buffet Dinner
Rating: ***
Date: 18 October 2009
Address: On the Marina, San Francisco, CA 94123
Website: http://www.stfyc.com/

University Club
Meal: Served, fixed dinner
Rating: ****
Date: 29 October 2009
Address: 1 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019-5485
Website: http://www.universityclubny.org/

Tom's Restaurant, Doo doo doo doo, doo da-doo doo

Tom's Restaurant



You'll probably recognize the outside of this restaurant if you ever watched Seinfeld. Though it was called "Monks Cafe" in the sitcom and a used a different interior, the wrap-around neon sign was unmistakable. But I came by Tom's Restaurant from another pop-culture angle, Suzanne Vega's 1987 son, "Tom's Diner."

Doo doo doo doo, doo da-doo doo ...



So, after hoping off the M60 bus at 125th St., I strolled down past the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and popped into Tom's to find myself "sitting at the counter." Since it wasn't breakfast, I didn't order coffee, but instead got a burger, fries and ice tea. The restaurant was packed with late brunchers and lunchers; the counter itself was packed elbow to elbow, but the counter help was friendly and served me quickly.

The mostly Greek staff had me thinking for a minute about the Billy Goat Tavern ("Cheezborger!"). Burgers at both were pretty good (basic and nothing fancy), and like the BIlly Goat, there was a touristical element (tee-shirts!), but it was a good meal and looked like a fun local spot.

More photos.

Meal: Lunch
Rating: ****
Date: 21 March 2010
Address: 2880 Broadway, New York, NY 10025
Website: http://www.tomsrestaurant.net/

Columbus (Avenue)'s Isabella's

Isabella's

Rumor had it that Isabella's was known to harbor celebrities. Seinfeld had been spotted there as well as a selection of Baldwins. Well, if they were there, I didn't see them. But the fault could have been that I was with a large group. A really large group, sixteen people. For whatever reason, the reserved table didn't work out, so three of us peeled off to be the satellite "kids" table. Ended up working out well!



The three of us decided to split two of the tasty salads for starters. We went with the Poached Bosc Pear Salad (Wild Arugula, Camembert Cheese, Toasted Walnuts) and the Warm Goat Cheese (Organic Beets, Baby Greens, Toasted Macadamia Nuts, Sherry Vinaigrette). Both were good, but I liked the warm goat cheese best (the beets were fabulous).

For entrees, we all went with meat. A filet mignon, pepper crusted sirloin, and my choice, the Creekstone Farms Boneless Short Rib (with Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Baby Vegetables). The meats were all quite good and well prepared. The short rib was for tender and the sides done just right.

As regular readers know, I'm not usually a dessert person, but our table decided to split the Dark Chocolate "Bag" (Fresh Raspberry Mousse, Seasonal Berries Filled & Topped with Fresh Whipped Cream). Tasty, but, again, I'm just not big on desserts.

Isabella's also offered a nice wine selection and the service (especially for our large group) was handled well. Overall a nice dinner.


Meal: Dinner
Rating: ****
Date: 21 March 2010
Address: 359 Columbus Avenue, New York, NY 10024-5103
Website: http://www.brguestrestaurants.com/restaurants/isabellas/index.php

Amsterdam Bars

Amsterdam Bars: Amsterdam Avenue that is!
While staying on the Upper West Side for some meetings, I had the opportunity to visit a number of interesting bars on or just off Amsterdam Avenue between around 79th and 82nd streets.

In order of visits, they were:

• The Gin Mill
• Cava
• Dead Poet
• 420
• Jake's Dilemma

The Gin Mill and Jake's were the best of the bunch in terms of the great dive bar ambiance (see The Horsehoe and Little Shamrock in San Francisco or the Capitol Lounge in DC). The Gin Mill was having a very happy happy hour during my visit and the bar was loud and crowded. The drinks, however, were practially free! Three drinks (for our group) for around $12 (with a liberal tip). I visted Jake's on a Monday, just after 5 pm, and it was pretty quiet, a couple people shooting pool, some playing beer pong and one or two at the bar. Again, great happy hour prices and we added some tasty nachos to the table. Both spots, great finds.

Cava was a much different spot, focused on wine. Nice tasteful wood paneling with bottles from their extensive collection lining the upper walls. On a nice spring afternoon, the best part was the large windows that opened up onto 80th Street.

Since the night was still young and some of the group was a bit chilled by the open windows, so we moved on to The Dead Poet. A loud, crowded Irish pub, we found a table for our group and focused on a selection of Smithwicks and Guiness.

After a lovely dinner at Isabel's, a small group of us stopped off at 420 for a little nightcap. The place was nearly empty and nice and quiet for some shop talk. The bartender was cheerful and helpful and made for nice end of the day.

Gin Mill
Meal: Drinks
Rating: ***
Date: 21 March 2010
Address: 442 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY
Website: http://www.nycbestbar.com/ginmill/

Cava Wine Bar
Meal: Drinks
Rating: ****
Date: 21 March 2010
Address: 185 West 80th Street, New York, NY 10024
Website: http://www.cavanyc.com/

Dead Poet
Meal: Drinks
Rating: **
Date: 21 March 2010
Address: 450 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10024
Website: http://www.thedeadpoet.com/

420
Meal: Drinks
Rating: ****
Date: 21 March 2010
Address: 420 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10024
Website: N/A

Jake's Dilemma
Meal: Drinks
Rating: ****
Date: 22 March 2010
Address: 430 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10024
Website: http://www.nycbestbar.com/jakes/